Post: Senate race tied, slight lead for amendment

With only 21 days until Virginians go to the polls, the Washington Post says that, according to its poll data, the race between Senator George Allen (R) and his Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, is a statistical tie. Among likely voters, 49 percent support Allen and 47 percent give the nod to Webb with a 3 percent margin of error. The poll was conducted between October 10, the day after the candidates' televised debate, and October 12. This data would appear to contradict an earlier Zogby poll showing Allen with a comfortable 11-point lead.

In that same Washington Post poll, only 53 percent of likely voters say they're voting for the Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, with 43 percent voting against the amendment and 4 percent saying they have no opinion, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. Were these numbers to hold until Election Day, the amendment would pass as it needs only a simple majority, but the margin is far smaller than experts had predicted.

The good news for those who oppose the amendment is that when the Post read a one-sentence summary of the leading arguments for and against it to those polled, only 48 percent said they'd vote for the amendment, with 47 percent saying they'd vote against it– a statistical dead heat. If Old Dominion voters reject the amendment, they would make Virginia the first state in the union to vote down a same-sex marriage ban.

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8 comments

The fun part of the story was that in NOVA (aka the civilized part of VA) Webb would crush Macacallen, but in the sticks (the rest of VA) it flips. Does C-Ville really agree with NOVA, or do most of the people here live in NOVA and commute along the lovely 29?

I'll vote for whichever candidate endorses freedom of satellite TV (being able to pay for whichever channels you want with none of the local station Nazi-like restrictions). If neither supports freedom I simply won't vote.

Why is it odd? Some people care about breeder results, some about minimum wage, and others about the airwaves. I choose the latter.

wert October 17th, 2006 | 3:01pm

Actually both polls are both within the margin of error, the current poll says that it could be Allen 52% to Webb 45% or it could be Webb 50% Allen 46% or anything in between. The Zoby poll had Allen at 48%, the Post has him at 49% that is really not much of a difference, the undecided seem to have decided or the second poll didn't allow for undecideds. The margin of error isn't a footnote it's there for a reason.

As for NOVA begining more "civilized" if you mean worse traffic, overgrown suburbs, less manners, and the shocking lack of connection to the rest of the country, let alone the state then by all means. And if you want local channels on your satellite( a serious measure of civilization to be sure) you can buy an antenna or get cable. But if selecting a canidate based on your TV viewing choice (which in your world is related to the Nazi's attempt takeover of the world) then go right ahead

I DON"T want any local channels on my satellite. I simply want to be able to get all the national feeds. Despite the fact that these cost money, the local stations randomly grant people waivers. I'd like the right to buy feeds for what I want. I don't want any channels for breeders (or results), I don't want low def stations, I don't want religious stations (we love those here in VA). I'm more than willing to double my satellite bill if I can get stations I want.

Do good manners include changing diapers on the table of local eateries?

So now...Allen or Webb..if you want my vote let me know what you think of the media industry and what you plan to do about the lack of freedom for the consumer.

beck October 18th, 2006 | 8:30am

Help protect up to 60,000 victims of domestic violence--vote "no" on the propsed marriage amendment! Precedents in other states (Ohio, for example) indicate that the wording in the second paragraph of the amendment will open legal challenges to Virginia's domestic violence laws, particularly victims' access to protective orders. This broadly worded amendment reaches far beyond the issue of marriage--its unintended consequences can be fatal for victims of domestic violence.

Allen AGAINST Net Neutrality October 19th, 2006 | 6:02pm

If you appreciate the freedom of the internet, you have to vote against Allen, who would just be tickled pink to make Time-Warner, COmcast, and AT&T the arbiters of what you can and can't access...and give them the ability to charge you extra for content they may not provide "for free."

There are a gazillion reasons to vote for Webb. This is definitely one of them.